Crucial meeting over collective agreement for ambulance workers

After lengthy negotiations the FNV Abvakabo and CNV Publieke Zaak trade unions have signed a new collective agreement for the ambulance sector that replaces the four previous agreements in the sector. The two-year agreement will take effect on 1 January 2011 and will involve a three-stage increase in the year-end bonus from 5% to 8.33% of annual salary. There will also be two 1% increases to basic pay. [Read more at > FNV-Abvakabo (NL)->http://www.abvakabofnv.nl/nieuws/nieuws/een-cao-voor-ambulancesector] [And at > CNV Publieke Zaak (NL)->http://www.cnvpubliekezaak.nl/CAO_Ambulancezorg

Staffing levels will be a priority for the negotiations over a new agreement in the ambulance sector. The FNV trade union has been organising a series of work-to-rule actions in the sector to highlight the urgent problem of understaffing. While extra funding for the service was agreed by the government last year, the union launched the protests as there was no guarantee that enough would be allocated to ensuring increased recruitment to the sector. The FNV wants to see improvements to pay and training to tackle staffing shortages, with many workers attracted to better pay and working time